Going through the process of trying to find a job? Don’t like interviews or re-re-updating your resume? Guess what…you are just like everyone else in this world. After every interview, it’s easy to feel this need to “treat” yourself for just getting up and going through the motions, even though that is technically your job while unemployed. You should be doing job-related things all day, every day. Yet, somehow you end up sitting in your room with your best friends Ben and Jerry staring at the computer screen, wishing there was a way to make this whole job search go faster. How do I get myself out of this reoccurring slump?
Follow these steps to get you through the low points of your job search, and you’ll be happily employed in no time!
1. Stick To The Plan
The hardest part of being unemployed is going through the day to day life as the bank account dwindles. Having nothing requiring you to get out of the bed creates no motivation. Make sure to keep to a schedule as if you had a full-time position. Set the alarm to go off maybe not 7 a.m. but 9 a.m. at the latest to make sure you don’t just waste away your day in front of Netflix (talking from personal experience).
Take any extra time to visit a company in person, sometimes this simple gesture can be enough to put you on the map. The easiest path isn’t always the best, especially in the job searching world. Keep in mind that consistent contact in some way, shape, or form will get you somewhere in the long run.
2. Polish Your Skills
If you say you’re a master of Photoshop, maybe find a way to keep using the program to not lose the skills with that program. If you want to get some skills you don’t have yet, there are a lot of free programs you can use like CodeAcademy, which teaches coding languages and Duolingo, which helps you learn a new language. The point is: you have the time, so do something that might help you later in life or the job market. Give yourself a new edge.
3. Don’t Be A Hermit
Go see the sunshine, (or in my case clouds…not the point.) Get outside of the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom (the three rooms you’ve only been in for approximately a month). This can be challenging on a limited budget, but with a little creativity, you’ll find yourself catching some fresh air. Go to a park, walk into a store, move around, just get exercise.
4. Update Your Materials
When you’re going through a tough job search, it can be easy to feel like you’re grasping at straws. But, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. So instead focus on changing it up! Try a different resume format, make sure all of your skills are front and center, and be sure to include lots of numerical data to back up your accomplishments.
5. Know That You’re Not Alone
Everyone knows someone who might know an important person! Contact the network of your networks. Get in touch with your dad’s friend’s uncle’s friend that works at the next best company. You never know who can help you get in the door of an organization. There are many other individuals unemployed which yes — this does mean you have competition. But when you find the right position or company then this whole process is worth it.
Last but not least remember this — you are not defined by your occupation. There is more to life than just having some fantastic job. Hobbies, volunteering, family time, vacations… these things are all important. And you have made it through 100% of your bad days, so remember you’ve got a GREAT track record so far!
